Effective communication is a key component to maintaining a successful business or other type of organization. In many industries, the ability to communicate with customers, consumers, or other companies is of great importance. For example, lenders must be capable of maintaining contact with borrowers, manufacturers must be capable of maintaining contact with suppliers, and shipping companies must be capable of making deliveries that require confirmation, such as a signature of the receiving party.
As a result, considerable effort is put into providing effective communication options and capabilities. For example, many businesses are now capable of communicating using a variety of channels, including traditional methods such as telephone, personal visit, or letter, as well as newer channels such as email, Internet (e.g., Internet relay chat (“IRC”), instant messaging (“IM”)), or mobile text-messaging (e.g., a short message service (“SMS”)).
Nevertheless, it has been estimated that companies spend millions of dollars per year in wasted time and resources related to unsuccessful contact attempts. Therefore, a need exists for methods and systems that increase the efficiency and reliability of contacts.